Bagels and Roses

by Lara Wilson

Logan was the first to awaken in the new year and as he propped himself up on his elbows and
yawned, he glanced down at his girlfriend curled next to him, then out in the other room where
Duncan and Veronica slept in a purely platonic fashion on the unfolded futon couch. Scratching
his chest and yawning again, he sat up fully and winced as his head exploded. Grumbling to
himself and trying to remember just what he'd had to drink the night before, he staggered from
the bed and into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, three extra-strength Tylenol in his system, he staggered back out and pulled
a crumpled green t-shirt over his head and his jeans up his legs. He couldn't quite remember
what had happened the night before--and how the four of them had ended up back at the Echoll's
pool house--but since he was wearing his boxer shorts and he wasn't that pleasant kind of sticky,
he figured the best thing hadn't happened.

As he sat down on the end of the bed to put on a pair of worn sneakers, he disturbed Lilly who
groaned and rolled onto her back, revealing a white tank top. Logan dimly remembered her
wearing a barely there red spandex dress the night before, but those big purses girls carried could
contain whole wardrobes so he wasn't surprised she had other clothes to change into.

"Morning," she grumbled and rubbed her temple. "Tequila shooters did me in."

Oh...right. That's what they'd finished up with at...some kid's house, the name escaping him.

"What happened to Veronica and my idiot brother?"

Logan pointed to the outer room.

"Oh. Got any food?"

"Left-over Chinese from our date the other night."

Lilly turned a charming shade of green at the thought and collapsed back on the pillows, groaning
again in pain.

"I'll sneak into the big house, see what mom's got in the kitchen to munch on. There's always a
big spread all New Year's Day."

"Oh, yeah, Happy New Year."

"Yeah." Giving her back a soft grin, as she'd rolled onto her stomach, Logan slipped out of the
pool house to infiltrate his mom's well-stocked, large kitchen, hoping to avoid everyone.

*****

Returning fifteen minutes later with a tray of muffins, fruit, bagels and tubs of cream cheese
spreads, as well as a carafe of coffee, he found Veronica and Duncan sitting on the futon--
returned to its original state as a couch--holding hands and watching the Rose Parade on the tv.

Lilly sat in a chair, knees tucked up under her chin--revealing a pair of his boxer shorts to go with
the tank top--making snide comments about the floats.

"That's my girl."

She grinned at him and snagged a muffin as he passed.

"Hey man, thanks for letting us crash," Duncan said, separating himself from Veronica to fix a
plate and some coffee for the two of them.